Buffalo Quinoa Mac n’ Cheese
Photo provided courtesy of stock image taken by @dichatz
OMG you guys. I’m so glad I found this recipe in my archives because it is SO damn good. And any excuse to make something that even vaguely resembles mac n’ cheese is a winner chicken dinner in my book. A friend turned me on to this recipe years ago - she had Celiac and was looking for a gluten-free recipe for mac n’ cheese that wasn’t totally disgusting (this was probably 10 years ago before gluten-free everything was all the rage). Believe me, you don’t need to suffer from Celiac to enjoy the heck out of this yummy dish. Pure, spicy lusciousness! I actually whispered “uh-oh!” after my first bite because I knew seconds were going to be hard to resist. Which…they were.
Now, you don’t have to use quinoa, but I find it keeps the dish lighter so you’re getting maximum flavor without getting bogged down by too much pasta. (Plus, it gives you a somewhat plausible excuse as to why you ate half of the entire thing yourself.)
Now, my husband and I personally love spicy food (it doesn’t always love me back), but kiddo doesn’t. So feel free to either increase or decrease the heat factor, or change up the style of hot sauce entirely. Sriracha would work well, as would almost any flavor of PNW favorite Secret Aardvark Sauce if you’re feeling daring. But we’ll stick to the basics for right now and you can get wild n’ crazy in your own kitchen if you feel so inclined.
This recipe serves 4-6, so if you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 casserole dish instead of the 9x9.
Buffalo Quinoa Mac n’ Cheese
Equipment:
1 9x9 casserole dish, greased
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
S&P
2 Tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cups milk, divided
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 TBSP Buffalo Wing Sauce (I use Frank’s or Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
Optional: 1/4 cup each of chopped carrots and celery, for garnish OR boil and fold into your mac n’ cheese
Directions:
1) Preheat oven broiler on LOW.
2) Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
3) While quinoa is cooking, season chicken breasts on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet over medium heat until cooked all the way through (165F). Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Air Fryer method: 350 for 9 min
4) Whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Pour in remaining milk, and green onions. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for one minute while boiling
5) Remove pan from the heat, then add buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted. Add in cooked quinoa and chicken (and veggies if using), and stir to combine.
6) Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and top with bleu cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until the bleu cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.
7) Top with carrots and celery (if using)
